WHY HOLLYWOOD’S SUPERHERO FILMS STILL STRUGGLE WITH TRUE DIVERSITY IN 2025

BY MIKEY N.

As an avid fan of superhero films there is something genuinely exciting about the build-up to a new release. The anticipation, the spectacle, the grand escape into worlds where anything is possible. So, when I recently watched The Thunderbolts, one of the latest instalments in the Marvel cinematic universe, I had every hope of being swept up in its action and storytelling. But what stayed with me after the credits rolled wasn’t awe or excitement but disappointment.

Before the main feature even began, the trailers for the upcoming DC Superman film and Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot played. And right from those previews, it was glaringly clear: the same tired casting formulas are still dominating the genre. While these films promise innovation in plot and production, they stubbornly cling to outdated notions of representation.

The Thunderbolts did feature a fair-skinned Black woman in a leading role, an inclusion that on the surface might appear progressive. But her presence felt more like a safe, palatable nod to diversity rather than a genuine step forward. The industry continues to favour lighter-skinned Black actors as its version of inclusivity, often sidelining darker-skinned individuals, let alone those from other racial, ethnic or marginalised communities.

The absence of any significant Black, Asian, or other marginalised ethnicity characters among the leading cast was not just noticeable - it was jarring. For a genre that claims to be forward thinking, often set in fantastical futures or alternative realities, it’s frustrating that its imagination fails so dramatically when it comes to the variety of people who exist in the real world.

What was especially upsetting in The Thunderbolts was the portrayal of a character dealing with extreme mental health challenges. This character, struggling and vulnerable, eventually morphs into a villain and in that moment of transformation, his entire appearance turns jet black. It’s a heavy-handed visual metaphor that plays into centuries-old tropes: darkness equals danger, blackness equals evil. In 2025, this should no longer be acceptable. The link between mental illness and villainy, paired with a literal darkening of skin, is not just lazy writing - it’s harmful, reinforcing stigmas and deep seated racial biases.

We’ve heard for years that “diversity is coming” in Hollywood. Occasionally, it arrives in dribs and drabs with token characters, sidekicks, or one dimensional representations. But real, meaningful diversity means more than a tick box exercise. It means nuanced portrayals, varied skin tones, authentic cultural backgrounds and characters who are not reduced to stereotypes or visual shorthand for fear and instability.

The irony is that superhero films are meant to inspire us. They are about people who rise against all odds, who show us new ways of being, who break the mould. And yet, behind the scenes and in the scripts, the industry remains shackled by unimaginative casting and regressive storytelling.

As a fan, I want better. I want to be thrilled not just by visual effects and battle scenes, but by stories that reflect the real world’s richness. I want children of all backgrounds to look up at the screen and see themselves and not just in the background, not as villains and not as watered-down versions of their true selves.

Hollywood, the world is watching. Isn’t it time the superhero genre caught up with the very ideals it claims to champion?